Intelligent Design: A Philosophical/Logical Approach

Is religion simply hardwired into human brains? Why do humans have a seemingly irrational attraction to God? Is this a defense mechanism programmed into the human brain that allowed Humans to survive over the centuries?

I would say no, religion is not simply hardwired into the human brain.

Presuppositions of above question:
a. Religious thought is irrational behavior.
b. God does not exist.

If God exists, a longing for some spiritual connection would exist. Therefore, religion would not be irrational.

Thus, religious thought is rational valid point if God exists.

Breakdown of the argument against the existence of God:
atheism derives from the Greek root:
a-theos -> negative + "God"

The statement "God does not exist" declares an absolute negative, which is a logical fallacy. The moment atheism is affirmed, the person is essentially saying, "there is no being with infinite knowledge in this world, and I know that to be infinitely true by virtue of my own infinite knowledge."

The next stance atheists take is the position that theism has not presented itself with a defendable stance, in which case atheism is chosen by default.

p: God exists.
q: God does not exist.

To argue against position p, and posit another, q, you must prove all other systems are equally invalid.

Evidence for position p:
1. Logical Consistency (no contradictions in the system).
2. Empirical Adequacy (outside evidence confirms the system).
3. Experiential Relevance.

Position p also answers the existential questions each system must face:
1. Origin.
2. Morality.
3. Meaning.
4. Destiny.

Position q faces some existential negatives:
1. Lack of moral law - moral relativism in which right and wrong are indeterminate.
2. No meaning - life loses meaning without some greater purpose, i. e. a theos directing things.
3. No hope - the atheist is unable to cope with evil and death, because there is no higher answer.
4. Pascalian wager - the Christian, if wrong, has fulfilled the atheist's test of life: happiness and fulfillment. The atheist, if wrong, has not fulfilled the Christian's test, and is subject to eternal judgment.

Now, let's take position p a step further, and say that God is the Christian God of the Bible.

The Law of Noncontradiction (either-or system) reflects reality. Therefore, Jesus was making a most reasonable statement when He claimed exclusivity.

This Law also states that truth by definition is exclusive. This fact is proven by the fact you can either agree or disagree with what I just said.

Thus, two different religions making different truth claims cannot both be true. So how does one decide which religion is true?

The Three Tests of belief systems (mentioned above for position p):
1. Logical Consistency.
2. Empirical Adequacy.
3. Experiential Relevance.

1. The Bible is the most logical consistent manuscript to date. It presents one overarching theme throughout (the redemption of Man and glorification of God). It contains no contradictions.

2. Empirical evidence for the Christian position is overwhelming, from cosmology to microbiology to historical facts.

3. The Christian faith is coherent, and applicable to reality. Some examples:

-Nature of Humanity: the Bible's description of sin is very applicable to the state of the world, and explains why we struggle so much with human flaws and human error.

-Nature of Suffering: pain and death pervades our world. But meaninglessness comes not from being weary of pain, but of pleasure. The Christian sees suffering as a necessary element in life, but as Life's fundamental questions are answered, suffering is only peripheral; joy is central in life.

-Nature of Reality: the classical philosophers searched for unity in diversity. In the Christian mindset, theology is the queen of the sciences, unifying them to one goal. Similarly, the Christian life, with all its diverse functions and capacities, is unified to a uniform expression of worship to God. Not to mention the nature of unity in diversity caught up in the Trinity, unity, diversity, community.

-Nature of History: history is not one blank thing after another. It serves a purpose. With Jesus and the Cross at the center of the paradigm, one can see the unfolding of history's meaning. Not to mention the countless fulfillments of prophecy in the Bible, spanning hundreds and some thousands of years.

-Nature of Destiny: eternity is set in the mind of humanity. Hence phrases such as "My, he's grown", or "how that year just flew by"; we as humans are unaccustomed to the passing of time. This is like a fish being surprised by the wetness of water. It points that we have eternity written on our hearts. The Christian mindset fulfills this longing for eternity with promises of hope given to the believer. The Resurrection of Christ serves as the ultimate hope for the believer, because through this resurrection, he/she may hope one day to be resurrected in glorified bodily form in heaven.



So, is Christianity just a defense mechanism set in the human brain from years of evolution to survive through the centuries? I would say no, because there is adequate logical evidence God exists, therefore religion is reasonable, and Christianity meets the 3 tests for truth.

So here is one last piece of meat/logic: if religious thought is derived from a defense mechanism over years of evolutionary advancement, then all thought is a defense mechanism, enabling us to survive. Therefore, the argument, that religion is a defense mechanism, is itself a defense mechanism, and thus self-defeating.

This is why I believe Christianity to be logically sustainable.